Foldable furniture



Jan 6', 1931. N. N. BROWN FOLDABLE FURNITURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 13

ATTORNEYJ I Jan 6, 1931. N. N. BROWN 1,787,566

FOLDABLE FURNITURE Filed Feb. 1 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 MWM M A TTORNEYJ Patented Jan. 6, 1931 ATENT ,OFF'IICEF' nnw'ron n. nnown, onnnoinn, Wisconsin, essienon ro' GOLD MEDAL CAME roman;

TUBE MFG. 00.,BACIHE, WISCQNSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN H. nonnennnrunnf'rnnn Applicatiion meareb ary 13, ieae; seen nofsspu.

This invention relates to improvements'in foldable furniture such as cots.

In foldable cots constructed heretofore and comprising, in general, afcanvastop sewed to a frameconsisting of side members or bars towhich the top is secured andtwo or more pairs of legs which are crossed and pivotally connected at" a pointintermediate their respective ends, the upper ends of the legs have been pivotally connected to the ends of the side members whereby thelegs may be folded together and then folded against the side members. In these cots,

which have forthe most part been made of wood, ithas been necessary to provide brac-i ing means at the joints between the legs and side membersto give the cot sufiicient rigidity and to hold the same open for use. i It has been necessary to so construct these bracing means or members so that the same are also foldable so as not to interfere with the folding together of the legs and theside members in the manner referred to above, this construction interfering. more or less with the folding and unfolding of the cot frame, aswell as detracting from the general appearance of the cot and adding to the weight thereof. With the advent of the so-called all-metal cot, which is generally made from sheet-metal tubing of standard gauge, it has been a problem to provide means for pivotally connecting the legs to the side frame members and adequately brace the frame at these poin ts when thecot is'open for use without interfering with the folding and unfolding of the cot or adding to the weight thereof, or detracting fromthe appearance of the same.

/ One of the objects of the present'invention, therefore, is to provide an improved hinge for p'ivotally connecting the legs to the side frame members of'a' foldable cot of and 3, the cot compr1ses,-1n general, al gned, lsidemembers 1 and 2 pivotally connectedtogether ,attheir adjacent ends by means of a hinge 3, thehinge being fixed rigidly to the upper end of'a leg 4 crossinga similar leg 5 the character referred'tofand to construct the hinge so that-it is adapted to interlock with one of the connected parts in such manner'that the use of any supplementaryreinforcing or bracing members1s:unn.ecessary.

2S1 regards rigidity, simplicity of construction, appearance and cost of manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will hereinanerap'pear. Y a ffFonth'efpurpose of illustrating the invention several, embodiments thereof are shown in ggshown in position about to be locked to-.

gether by the hinges Fig. 5 is an end elevation, looking toward the right in Fig. v I s Fig. 6 is a, view similar to Fig. 4:, showing the parts locked together by the improved hinge;'

Fig. 7'is aplan view of Fig. 6; d

Fig. 7? is a fragmentary viewof one end of a ,cot, showing the way in which the modified hinge construction in'Figs..4 to 7 acts tolock and brace thelegs and side members against relative movement; 7 c 8Qis a. ,.plan'view of the left end of the cot shown in Fig. 1; i v

Fig. Qisan end elevation, looking toward the right in-Fig. 8; i

'10 is a perspective view of one of the parts 5,. a

llis an enlarged, detailview of the hinge construction in Figs.- 1-3 and 8-9, showing the connected parts in position about to be locked together and v Fig.12 is a view similar to Fig. 11, showing-the parts locked together.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1, 2

of. the legs by suitable hinge means 6, the

'60 V V 29 as'a'c enter,as'shown ln Figall.'

manner to provide pockets for receiving side members 1, 2, 8 and 9 of the foldablek'frame. Legsll, 12, 13 and 14, similar to legs 4 and 5, are connected intermediate "their ends, -as

. shown, by suitable hinge means 16 land 17 similar to the hingejmeans 6, the respective outer ends of the sirle frarne members'hei-n'g pivotally connected to thenpp'erenlds ,;of these legs by meansof hinges rs,'r'1 9,:#20;and 21 hereinafter describedL- "Asishowniin the drawings, I the" side "frame members; and v legs are made of metalf'tnbi'r' g whichm'ay begof standard gauge. 7 "Referringmore} particularl y to Figs., 11'and12,hinge 19' is made "from a single piece of sheet-metal"and comprises spaced arms 22 fitted about and shapedl'to conform'to the shape of leg 12 andibeing rigidly fixed theretojbyirneans of bolts 24", the portion 25 connectingar ns'22 and extending outwardlyand overhanging the end of leg'12, as shown, andbein'g shaped to provide-aisock et for receiving the adjacent-taperede1ida 26 of side member 1, the hinge comprising,'gfnrther," outwardly extendingsnac'ed ,lngs "27 between whichthe adj acent end of member lfits; and abolt29 extending through registering openings in the jen'ds of lugs 27 I and registering.longitudinal slots 30 in opposite sides of side "member "-1. *A shown "in .the drawings, bolt 29 acts to pivotally' 'conneetthe upper end-of leg12 to}, the Fadjacent'Iend or side member'l, the registeringislots30 permitting axial movement of member ilfwith respect to :hinge' 19, i so "that when "leg' 12 is swung abont bolt29as a centeff'rom the'position thereof shown in Fig. 11 to Q the position' of the same shownfin'"Fig;12, in which position the leg is at aright anglertdmember and-the latter thenmoved:axially'toward the hinge, the end 26 of the side memberiwill enter socket whereby the" leg and side member' arelocked againstpivotalimovement'with respecttoea'ch other; In closingior 'folding up the cot, member l-is'pnlled axiallyeway from hinge 19 untilthe pivot or 'bo1t'f- 29 is engaged by the left'ends of s'lots -30,1*as-viewed in Fig. 1 1,- at which time. the'end' 26;o'f{mem- "her E1 will have -been withdrawn ff-rom fthe socket 25 to permit pivotal movement of the "parts i with respect to each otheriabout 'bolt The con'struction and them-antler of operationo'f'hin es- 18, '20 and 21 is identical-to that of hinge19"justdescribed; Y

' The arrangement and-lengtho-fgslotsBO is such that when the connected parts are moved at right angles to each other and side member 1 moved axially toward hinge 19 until bolt 29 engages the right endsoii' slots 30, the end26 of member 1 will extend an appreciable distance beyon d socket-25,"as shown i1i""Fig. 12. 'The ends of 'toplO are stitched to provide pockets for receiving members 31 -providedwadjacent. their ends. with sockets 32 afor-receivingwthe exposed ends 26 of the respective Side members, ends 26 being tapered, 3S:1'ShGWIl,JlZ-O facilitate insertion of the same into sockets 25. Members 31 act to stretch the wavesapas "longitudinally and to hold the same ti ht, these'members further providing abrac'e for rigidly connecting the outer ends; of the. side members and acting:to prevent folding together of the legs. In closing or folding'npfthe cot,;the ends26 of the side members are pn'lledbntofsockets 32 in members 31* and'the latter. removed from the pockets theen'dsoftop 10,"one end of-each mem ber"31beingexterrded, asfshowny to facilitate removalfof' the same 1 from interlocking engagementwithtends '26. 'Theolegs are then folded together to bring the side frame menr hers 1, 2 ,l-8"and= 9 together, after which the legs 1l,-1-'2,' 13-'anc l'1t may be folded upon the side -m'embe1s Land-8; and 2 and 9, respectivelyfas indiCated' in-FigL'Q. "-The two halves ofthe'-cot,'--which are pivetally connected to gether by means of hinges-V3 and 7 are then folde'd upon the center legs 4-and 5. Memhers 31 mayeach be provided with an apertnr'e'd lug "33struck outwardly therefrom for receiving siiitable straps, s0 that by placing i'r iembers 'el upon the ielded cot, the straps may be Wrapped about the latter and'used for holding the 'same in folded position to form a bnndle 'convenientiforcarrying.

"In the modifiedconstrnction ii-to :7 F3 thei'hinge-84zis identical in construction'i-to hin'ges18 to 21 described above, the hinge ;arms -35, however, which are equivalent t-oaarmst22iiniFi-gs. 11 and .12, beingfixed y rigidly toithesrespective-uouter ends of side members37 'zbysmeansr of bolts: 36; while the adjacentends of therlegs 38 are provided with registeringslots f39iinatheir opposite sides' for :receivingthefpivot: bolt40. 'In this modified construction, furthermore, zthe arrangement .of-slotsBQ- issn-ch that when .legs 38 are pulled axially away fronrhingesfie untilbolts a0 engagezthexnpperr-ends oft-the slots, the upper BHClS'IOf-LthB :legs, upon [rotation of the latter into supportingposition:abonti bolts 10, will fjnstrcleanthe'ilower edgesaof the socket portion Algth-e Latter, :however, being-arran ged abovetthedower'edges of? side members 37 so that theiupperrendsr of the :legs will engage -the z'adj acentm iembers 37 :when the :legs are exactly-Tat zright angles with respect to I the :side". members and in; alignment :with the sockets,- so that up onesnbsequentr' axial moveamentpi-thei legsznpwardlyr the; upper-a en dsof shown in Fi gs.

l of spaced arms fitted the latter will enter between the adjacent ends of side members 37 and socket portions L1, as more clearly shown in Fig. 7, the upper end of the leg having a relatively tight or snug fit between these parts to provide against any loose play or possible pivotal movement of the legs and side members with respect to each other about bolts 40, the latter engaging the lower ends of the slots when the upper ends of the legs are substantially flush with the upper edges of the socket portions, as more clearly shown in Fig. 6.

In this modified construction, the reinforcing members 31 in Fig. 1 are omitted and the canvas top extended, as shown in Fig. 7*, so that the adjacent ends of arms 35 of the hinges enter the ends of the pockets at the side edges of the top, one of the bolts 36 being passed through the top, as shown, whereby the corners of the top are fixedsecurely to the side frame members so that when the cot is open the top will be held taut at all times and prevented from sagging longitudinally.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the improved hinge construction performs the double function of pivotally connectingthe frame parts together and locking the same against pivotal movement with respect to each other when the cot is set up, the supplementary reinforcing members used heretofore for imparting rigidity to foldable cots of this type being dispensed with, the improved hinge construction thus providing for a cot of simpler construction, lighter weight I and neater appearance than those constructed heretofore.

The improved hinge has been shown and described in connection with a foldable cot, but of course the invention is of much broader adaptation and may be used with equal advantage in the construction of other articles of furniture of the folding type, such as chairs, tables and the like.

Several embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, but of course various changes in the size, shape and arrangement of the parts may be adopted without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

Ihe invention claimed is:

1. A foldable article of furniture includ ing frame members and leg members and hinges between the frame members and the leg members, each hinge comprising a pair snugly against the associated frame member adjacent one end thereof, a pin and slot connection between said arms and said frame members, a second pair of arms integral with said first menioned arms and angularly positioned with respect thereto, said second pair of arms being snugly fitted against and fixedly secured to the associated leg member and a curved connecting piece and socket forming formed member integral w1th the arms and as a continuation of the second pair of arms, said connecting piece and socket forming member. providing'a socket adapted to receive and'hold the associated frame member frame member to pass and permit the through and extend beyond the socket when the article of furniture is set up whereby additional means maybe mounted on a portion of the frame member which passes through the socket.

2; In an article of furniture of the character described, side frame members, a pair of crossed legs pivotally connected intermediate their respective ends, hingemembers comprising bodyv portions secured to the upper ends of said legs and provided withsockets overhanging the same, spective adjacent ends of said side members extending through said sockets ends whereby said reinforcing member acts to hold said legs in spread-out, operative position and to prevent withdrawal of the extended ends of theside members from the sockets until said reinforcingmember is removed.

In witness whereof I hereto afiix my sig nature.

- NEWTON N. BROWN.

the re- I and beyond. the latter andhaving pin and slot connecand a reinforcing member ar-. 

